Header

AI Behavior

AI Behavior

Understanding how AI opponents behave helps you predict their actions and plan accordingly. Because of this AI behavior is customized for each individual AI. The information below is general guidelines and each AI opponent may or may not follow them to varying degrees.

Activity Patterns

Online Schedule

AI players will follow circadian rhythms simulating real players:

Time Period Behavior
Peak Hours Most active, building and expanding
Off-Peak Reduced activity
Sleep Period Offline for extended periods

Activity varies by AI personality and follows realistic human-like patterns.

Session Length

AI players have varying session lengths so that they will mimic both lightly active human players and heavily active human players. Some AI players will demonstrate patterns you would expect from a person with a day job while others may have a pattern you might see with someone who does not work at all.

  • Short sessions (30 min - 2 hours)
  • Long sessions (4+ hours)
  • Breaks between sessions

Development Behavior

Building Priority

AI opponents follow strategic build orders depending on their personality and objectives. Some of them will build like miners, otherwise will prioritize trading. Some might specifically target offline players and try to safely farm resources from players while others might seek out the glory of war and focus on destroying ships.

  1. Economy First: Metal Mine → Crystal Mine → Deuterium Synthesizer
  2. Energy Management: Solar Plant → Fusion Reactor
  3. Infrastructure: Robotics Factory → Shipyard → Research Lab
  4. Expansion: Colony Ships → New planets
  5. Safety Logistics: Cargo ships to support fleetsaving resources (before investing heavily in combat ships)

Research Focus

AI typically researches like any player would, focusing on early game unlocks and progressing through requirements as needed to meet the needs of its objectives.

  1. Energy Technology (unlocks advanced buildings)
  2. Combustion Drive (colony ship speed)
  3. Espionage Technology (information gathering)
  4. Computer Technology (fleet slots)
  5. Combat technologies (weapons, shields, armor)

Expansion Pattern

AI colonies expand methodically and with multiple factors, just like players.

  • Establish homeworld economy first
  • Colonize when Astrophysics allows
  • Develop new colonies to support homeworld
  • Balance resources across empire
  • Consider PvP opportunities and pressures
  • Consider support, trade, and defense benefits of being near others
  • Consider game objectives and what colonization strategy best supports it
  • Consider notable access patterns and interactions

Combat Behavior

Defensive

AI players protect their assets:

  • Build planetary defenses primarily when actively under attack and/or when resources cannot be safely fleetsaved
  • Fleetsave when going offline
  • Respond to incoming attacks
  • Request and contribute to ACS Defense
  • Attempt to ninja attackers
  • Set Bait, false activity, and intelligence denial

Offensive

Some AI players raid actively:

  • Scout neighboring planets
  • Attack profitable targets
  • Harvest debris fields
  • Race other players
  • ACS Tactics, Intelligence gathering, & timebacks are possible

Threat Response

When threatened, AI may:

  • Increase defense production
  • Fleetsave more frequently or more safely
  • Adjust online patterns
  • Solicit the help of others
  • Intentionally set traps

Personality Types

AI opponents have varying personalities affecting behavior. Below are some generic concepts, but AI utilize a system of 10 attributes to define their starting personalities and a system of more than 20 data points to reason about their interactions with others. These attributes interact in complex ways togher to help the AI determine how it wants to play the game as a whole and each individual situation. Additionally the AI will adjust its own stats over time enabling it to 'learn' as it plays among you in the universe.

Aggressive

  • Higher raiding investment (cargo ships and probes) to enable frequent profitable raids
  • More frequent attacks
  • Active raiding

Defensive

  • Strong planetary defenses
  • Conservative fleet use
  • Turtle-style play

Balanced

  • Mixed fleet and defense
  • Opportunistic attacks
  • Steady growth

Expansionist

  • Rapid colonization
  • Wide territory
  • Resource focused

Predictable Patterns

Good Luck!

Playing Against AI Effectively

Use these legal strategies to play efficiently against AI opponents:

Timing & Patterns

Identify if an AI follows patterns:

  • Watch for offline periods
  • Note session end times
  • Attack during "sleep" hours

Predicting Development

Identify if build orders are methodical:

  • Early game: weak defenses
  • Mid game: growing fleet
  • Late game: strong on all fronts

Resource Timing

Exploit failures to spend resources steadily:

  • Best loot after production cycles
  • Less profitable right after upgrades
  • Monitor activity for spending patterns

The following is not allowed:

  • Intentionally exploiting bugs or errors in AI logic that become transparent to the player
  • Attempting to 'break' the AI in a way that negatively impacts the game

AI Limitations

AI opponents have constraints:

Use these limitations strategically when planning attacks.